Sightseeing in Seward:

Leaving Anchorage behind, Diane and I put a CD in the player and enjoyed some music as we made our way 126 miles down the Seward Highway. After you pass the turnoff to Portage Glacier and Whittier, the highway curves and skirts around the end of Turnagain Arm and starts back toward the west, on the south side of the Arm. This area of relatively flat, marshy land, provides some amazing views in all directions of the mountains, glaciers, and Turnagain Arm. The highway then turns back to the south onto the Kenai Peninsula.

The road travels on a series of steep inclines, which takes you up and over Turnagain Pass. The rest area at the summit of Turnagain Pass provides great views and there is a paved trail down into the alpine meadow to a creek. It's a gorgeous place to stop for a rest, and Steve and I always stop here to enjoy lunch, but it was already nearly 2pm and we wanted to get to Seward and check into our hotel.

As soon as the mountains surrounding Seward came into view, we could see the low lying clouds hanging above and obliterating the tops of the peaks. I explained to Dee about the weather situation in Seward. It's not uncommon to drive all the way from Anchorage to Seward under sunny skies, only to find it overcast or even rainy when you arrive in town. It was indeed overcast and a little chilly when we arrived.

The Fourth of July in Seward is a very popular time to visit. The famed Mount Marathon Race takes place every year on July 4th, and thousands of people come into town to witness it. Over the past several years, Steve and I haven't had any luck getting reservations anywhere near Seward during the week of the Fourth. But I was lucky this time. Or was I?

Back in March, when every other hotel/motel/campground was booked solid, a phone call placed to the Hotel Seward got me a room in the 'old' part of the hotel. The 'old' part of the hotel was two stories, had about 10 rooms on each floor and also had two communal bathrooms on each floor. Fortunately, our room (as well as one or two others) came with it's own attached bath. Thank goodness!

It also had cable TV and a working telephone - two luxuries we didn't have at Bird Ridge Motel. But, like most hotels/motels in Alaska, there was no air conditioning. AC isn't really necessary most of the time. At night the temps drop low enough for good sleeping, and a well placed fan in an open window can bring in all the cool air you need to be quite comfortable. When we cranked open the windows in our room at the Hotel Seward, we realized that there weren't any screens. Fortunately, there weren't any mosquitoes either.

After dropping our bags in our room, we took off walking toward the Marina, using the foot/bike path that runs along Resurrection Bay. By this time the sun was making an appearance and warming things up a bit. There were hundreds of RVs already parked along the shore and throughout Seward. Fire pits were already blazing, and groups of people sat around them, snacking on food and chugging down cold beers. It was definitely a party atmosphere.

At the Marina, fishing boats were unloading their carts of halibut, salmon, and rock bass and hanging up the largest fish from the hooks below the Seward sign so the fishermen could have their photo taken with their catch.

We went into the Kenai Fjords cruise office to double check on our glacier cruise and to see if they had any shuttle buses available so we wouldn't have to walk several miles in the morning. We were in luck, and made arrangements to have the shuttle come for us at 8am the next morning. After stopping into a few souvenir shops, Dee and I had a bite to eat at Christo's Palace before heading back to our room and turning in for the night.

Resurrection Bay		Seward Marina
Seward house	Napping in the sunshine	Young lovers	Raise the Flag

Sunrise in Seward

Up early again, Dee and I dressed for our day on the water. So that she could travel with only a carryon, I assured her that I'd bring everything she'd need to stay warm on the glacier cruise. I passed her a long underwear top and a heavy fleece and told her how important it was to layer if she wanted to stay warm. I put on the same layers of clothing.

I booked us on the 9.5 hour Northwestern Fjord Tour. Our travels would take us 150 miles roundtrip, and we were guaranteed to see wildlife as well as impressive glaciers. This was my third time taking this particular cruise - I'm hooked! We had a marvelous time, and saw quite a bit of wildlife. But the most awesome sight of all was witnessing what the captain called 'the largest calving of Northwestern Glacier he's seen in all 13 years of his career'. The thunder of the ice falling off the face of the glacier was immense, and the boat rocked from side to side with the wake. Huge pieces of ice and slush spread outward from the glacier and surrounded us. I made two animations (posted below) but if you're on dial up they may take a few minutes to load completely. The top one is just a series of still shots that shows the area where the glacier fell from, and the bottom one is a rapid succession of photographs which shows the ice as it falls into the water.

	Finback whales and glacier	Finback whale
		Black-legged Kittiwake	Horned Puffin
Black Oystercatcher	Murres	Starfish
Tufted Puffins			Glacier animation
			Glacier animation

We were out on the boat all day long. We were certainly ready to get back to port, as it was getting much chillier and we were exhausted. It was an incredible day, and Dee got to see some awesome wildlife and scenery. We also enjoyed talking to other cruise-goers and hearing about their vacations in Alaska. We walked back to the hotel from the marina, turned on the TV, and climbed into bed. I think we were both fast asleep by 10pm.

On the morning of July 4th, we were up early again. We got ready for the day, and made our way downstairs to the hotel lobby to get a cup of coffee. Thank goodness for complimentary caffeine fixes! We had plans to watch the Juniors race in the Mount Marathon race and then head out of Seward ahead of the crowds. But before we could get the day started, we had to find a place to get something for breakfast - and it had to be within walking distance, since I wasn't going to risk losing my parking spot. The hotel staff mentioned Resurrect Art Coffee House Gallery, only a few blocks away. This gallery/coffeehouse is in a renovated church, and is a marvelous place to have an espresso and a scone (or in our case - a pot of cranberry tea and cinnamon raisin bagels). While we ate, we checked out the art, which is produced by talented locals. Everything was for sale too. It was a really nice way to start the day and by the time we left, the line out the door was all the way to the street. Perfect timing on our part.

About an hour before the official start of the Junior Race, the city was alive with spectators. Food stands that lined the streets started opening up - serving up reindeer sausage, hot dogs, burgers, etc. The bagel was definitely easier on my stomach than a hotdog would have been. There were Tai Kwon Do competitions taking place on one corner, arts and crafts stands opening up with everything from patriotic t-shirts to Native made items, and lots of excited young people assembling beneath the starting banner.

We watched them leave the starting line, and then followed the crowd to the base of Mount Marathon to await their descent down the side of the steep mountain. These kids had such stamina. Not only did they have to run halfway up a very steep mountain, but they had to find their way back down without getting injured. The terrain was rocky and unstable, and I imagined horribly skinned knees and broken bones. There were definitely some bloody knees, and one or two sprained ankles, but as a whole, these kids were amazing athletes!

When a little boy fell down the side of the hill, crashing through the trees and screaming the entire way down, the crowd came alive. People were screaming "MEDIC!" and anyone with medical training ran quickly into the wooded area to lend assistance. Our hearts broke for the crying boy, who was not only in pain, but most likely terribly scared. As they took him away in the ambulance, they still hadn't located his parents. I've been looking for information about this boy's condition, but nothing has been posted on any of the race sites. I emailed the Seward Chamber of Commerce to see if they could provide me with an update.

And they're off!

We left Seward, beating the mass exodus, and made our way back through Anchorage to the community of Wasilla and our next overnight stop. We made great time, despite the traffic congestion in Anchorage, and as I did the entire trip, I marveled at the incredible gas mileage I was getting in my new car. :-)

Onward to Wasilla ==>